juliedherbl

[juliedherbl]

Thanks so much for this analysis. It is so interesting!

I think his "I will make him suffer" shows how fresh the wound is and how crazy it´s turning him, wanting to kill Albert is cold blood murder

Monte Cristo commenting on his great eye for actors is ironic, because he´s acting as MC too

Sins of the Father

It's time for another episode of me shouting into the void about The Count of Monte Cristo. Firstly, let's bring up a fun foreshadowing quote from the chapter The Trial:

Albert has just received a letter stating that his father did in fact betray Ali. (Still unaware that his father also betrayed his friend Monte Cristo) Albert reacts very strongly to this news.

Upon seeing his young friend in despair, Monte Cristo says:

"Poor young man!" said Monte Cristo, in a low voice, "it is very true that the sin of the father shall fall on the children to the third and fourth generation."

After a couple of scenes where Albert gets more information. He also finds out who is behind revealing his father as a betrayer. Let's see who is behind door number 1?

"No other than your friend Monte Cristo." (said Danglars)

Bring in chapter 89: The Insult

Albert goes to find Monte Cristo at the opera. He makes a point to call MC out on being elusive. 😂 Always taking 'refuge' in his house - bathing, eating and sleeping. (God forbid a wrongly-accused-man has hobbies, Albert... gees.) Albert's strong emotional reaction is a great contrast to the stoic MC.

"Ah, I shall know how to make you leave your refuge!" replied Albert, clasping in his convulsed grasp the glove, which Monte Cristo did not lose sight of.

I love how Dumas gently nudges our POV to Monte Cristo's without having his character break the act once.

There's no 'telling' of his emotion or intention right now, just a simple glance and we know the hamster wheel is spinning. Because one thing with Monte Cristo, every tiny movement is calculated.

... Albert understood the allusion in a moment, and was about to throw his glove at the count, when Morrel seized his hand... held him back.

And then we have this golden passage:

But Monte Cristo, without rising, and leaning forward in his chair, merely extended his hand, and, taking the damp, crushed glove from the clenched hand of the young man, - "Sir," said he, in solemn tone, "I consider your glove thrown, and will return it to you around a bullet. Now leave me, or I will summon my servants to throw you out at the door."

Now what the movie adaption did wrong is that Albert throws the glove directly. Thus, prompting Monte Cristo to accept the duel. But the book did it better. Albert never throws the glove. Dumas only indicates to us that Albert is holding it and might have thrown it if not stopped by his friends. Monte Cristo then plucks it out of Albert's hand and accepts the duel. 😂

Once Albert leaves with one glove, Monte Cristo goes back to his usual order of business as if nothing had happened. Dumas even writes to us:

... he certainly must have had a heart of brass and face of marble.

Morrel, the soundest of minds in this moment, asks him what on earth Monte Cristo has gone and done:

"I? Nothing - at least not personally," said Monte Cristo.

Well of course Monte Cristo hasn't done anything, it is the sins of the fathers. Him taking the glove was only him speeding up the process.

There are a few exchanges here, as Morrel tries to speak reason into his friend. Dumas makes it known to us a few times that Monte Cristo is as calm as a cucumber. Even when Morrel takes MC's hand in his and "...he shudders to feel how cold and steady it was."

This is how we know Monte Cristo - the man doesn't break the act.

Well, not until Morrel says this:

"Ah count," said he, "his father loves him so much!" "Do not speak to me of that," said Monte Cristo, with the first movement of anger he had shown; "I will make him suffer." Morrel, amazed, let fall Monte Cristo's hand.

Bingo, bango, we've got a trigger.

And as if it never happened, Monte Cristo snaps back to the mask, commenting on the opera and his great eye for actors.

It's a quick break of his act, the first I would say. So sudden that even when I first read it, I got a shock. 😂

"I will make him suffer" is a direct reaction to hearing Fernand has love for his son. The same love MC's father felt, and it is that suffering his father felt that he wishes to bring upon Fernand.

It is this poetic opportunity of seeing that tempting glove in Albert's hand, the son of the sinful father, that brings us to Monte Cristo breaking the act for a split second.

I have more to say on this chapter but for now this is enough 😂

[juliedherbl]

Everybody PAUSE, the count of monte cristo (2024) is streaming on hoopla FOR FREE with a LIBRARY CARD

[juliedherbl]

Designers, please @satlun wants Mercédès dresses and I want her earrings

Mercédès de Morcerf’s dresses

[juliedherbl]

MORE MERCÉDÈS CONCEPT ART!! I have a problem lmao

[juliedherbl]

These beautiful gifs by @satlun show so well Edmond´s tenderness ...melts one´s heart

Thanks so much, lovely @satlun

I´ll post about it but your gifs are self explanatory, really. He´s such an introvert in love, he hides his eyes every time so no one can see how much he loves her.

And the way Mercédès looks at him, with her intelligent gaze, evidently thinking of their secret too, trying to make eye contact with him every time.

dedicate these gifs to @juliedherbl 🩵

[juliedherbl]

Two Ghosts from the Past come to haunt Mercédès

…and it´s a Romantic Moment because the minutes say so

This scene is so full of meaning and layers that I just talk here of the staging and the structure.

The Count of MonteCristo and the Count of Morcerf come from outside, blurred, just like ghosts for a couple of seconds, from the left side of the screen, that represents the past. Then, their images are focused: they have arrived to the present, where Mercédès is.

This is the beautiful allegoric way in which Delaporte and de la Patellière staged the reunion of Edmond and Mercédès after 20 years of separation.

In the book, he sits in the shadows of the Morcerf´s drawing room to hide his face as much as he can.

 In the 2002 movie, he's just there in the middle of the party.

 With Delaporte and de la Patellière, the ghost of Edmond, that always lived with Mercédès, suddenly comes to life and to her life.

Also, there is another ghost, her cousin, who she doesn't know betrayed her and actually lives with her.

As for the left side of the screen representing the past, that works thus in cultures that write from left to right, that´s the logic behind it, and it´s quite a classic.

In cultures where the writing goes from right to left, I´m not sure if it translates thus in their cinematography. I wish I knew! 😊

In this case, the directors even take the pains of making Edmond and Fernand come from outside to inside, emphasizing even more that something new, a new situation, and, specifically Edmond, comes into Mercédès life.

As for the minute in which this scene happens: When I looked at the minute count, I just couldn´t believe it. The Directors managed to put this halfway the movie, give or take very few minutes, making it the midpoint, stating this is a romantic encounter.

It´s a classic beat in the classic movie structure of three acts to place just in the middle the so called midpoint, which, to move the plot forward, is a false victory or a false defeat; and frequently, is used for a romantic moment, that, if goes well midpoint, the couple doesn´t end together; and vice versa, if it goes bad, it means it will end well for them in the end.

This romantic reunion after 20 years doesn´t go well romantically. He is assailed by his memories; she is anguished; both are overwhelmed, insecure, surpassed by their feelings. They´re obviously not happy. The only one happy there is Fernand, the one that ends unhappy.

Placing this encounter here and making it hurtful for Edmond and Mercédès puts a sign that directs us to the very end, saying: “they end together and happy”. But Delaporte and de la Patellière cinematic language and text is meant not to be over expositive, but subtle. One has to pay attention.

They did this totally on purpose. Yes, they do know the book. They´re French. They knew what they were doing. They took licenses to tell the story in three hours. But they also rewrote, as the writers they are, and decided, as many fans of the book, that Edmond and Mercédès deserve to be together.

[juliedherbl]

Happy Count of Montecristo and Happy Mercédès in love, celebrating pride month

Decided to draw some silly characters for pride month!

[juliedherbl]

Romantic meeting

Thanks so much to @pauvrecamille for letting me use her screencaps to analyse this scene

There´s a lot of romance in this scene. It´s in the dark, they are relatively on their own, they speak in soft voices…and it explains what Edmond wants and what he needs more than we think at first sight:

Mercédès arrives late as the Monte Cristo family is leaving the party. She says in a friendly way “You go as I leave”.

It may be the darkness, the hour, their relative intimacy, her smile, but he answers in a sweet tone and with a smile. As friendly as her, he says “Do not see any connection”.

She’s a direct person and speaks resolutely to him. She wants to apologize for something. Her rational self is in command and she has decided it is impossible that the Count is Edmond.

His friendliness fades and he´s dead serious. Apologise for what? He wants an apology from Mercédès, as we see in the greenhouse. Also, an apology for her marriage would mean she has discovered him, so he’s alert now.

But she’s referring to her dizziness the day they met. The Count reminds her of someone she “knew well”.

He lowers his gaze so she can´t see him well. It´s dangerous to be recognized.

But she´s breathless again, as in the first day. He can see she´s truly affected.

Like a moth to the light, he gets bold and leans, and lies while his actions contradict him (as he does many times in the book and the 2024 movie). “I´m sorry to have reminded you of that painful memory”. He´s the contrary of sorry. His voice soft, too intimate for strangers, his face closer, he lifts his face again. He wants her to recognize him.

He stares intensely at her, face lifted, letting her explore his face, as if saying look at me, recognize me. Looking at her like that is a bold thing to do between perfect strangers, a single man and a married woman. But he keeps staring at her.

However, she puts and end to it. Before the encounter, she had decided to be rational, so she talks to MonteCristo, an important Count who she doesn´t want to cross because he saved her son; he can´t be her dead fiancée. She talks as the polite Countess.

His hope fades. His “Good” (tout bien) is sad. He steps back, physically and emotionally. His face after “Have a good night” is cold, and even angry the last second.

He leaves, and her mask of politeness, that he hates so much, falls, and she is in doubt again.

Niney and Demoustier are wonderful, and we have to thank this to de la Patelliére and Delaporte too. It was not in the book. But they created it for Edmond and Mercédès. For a romantic moment, they are caught in the spell of the other.

After the hunting party, he’s assailed by old and new feelings for her, and he chooses to focus on vengeance. But when he leaves the card game party, maybe it´s the hour or that he´s let down she wasn´t there, but he’s happy to see her.

This scene, the first time you see it, is kind of confusing. We love them together. But looks like nothing happens. Watching it closely, it's way more clear.

The Writers - Directors wanted to show what Mercedes and Edmond feel and think bc their next scene is dozens of minutes away, the greenhouse, and by then we have to know why Mercedes is so insistent and patient and why Edmond is so cold .

I love this scene because it gives some space to the characters, to interact, to see what they rationally decide and what they emotionally need and wish. It shows her first stage of still not believing Edmond is alive. It also explains that he wants her apology, but what moves him is her emotions, so what he really needs is her love.

[juliedherbl]

Can´t´agree more with Monsieur Fictive Villefort

The new tcomc film is so good though. I did not expect it to be this good. I love the way they changed the story, it's less confusing and so much more efficient with its storytelling. It actually feels like a story about Edmond Dantes. Hell, it's better than the book. I feel sorry for those who decides to read tcomc after watching the movie and be confused about half of it just being Villefort's life, 10% of it being murder stories, and another 10% just being semi unrelated stories about guys that will never appear again.

[juliedherbl]

I know this is a pivotal scene for Edmond...but he looks kind of silly to me with that hood... then again, I love how he delivers the lines

LE COMTE DE MONTE CRISTO (2024)

[juliedherbl]

Why Mercédès is so scathing with her mother? She was not so in the script.

Analysis of the “Mercédès waits for the return of Edmund” scene.

Delaporte and de la Patelliére wrote that Mercédès apologised and then decided to either not to shot it or to cut it later.

Here are my ideas and, please share yours, so we can get to the real meaning…or we can reach the conclusion that it was a mistake to cut Mercédès’ apology, creating a sense of “where this came from???" in the audience.

We are at Villefort´s office, and in the middle of it, it cuts to Villa Morcerf.

It serves as a relief of so much conversation, because there’s later quite more minutes there in the office; to give a sense of hours passing and to see how Mercédès feels.

Mercédès is desperate and her mother is quite worried too, but she tries to support her daughter. But Mercédès is strangely disagreeable. She says that her mother would be glad if Edmond did not return. The mama is truly horrified that her daughter thinks such a thing.

BUT in the final script Mercédès answered “I´m sorry, Maman” or something like that. Did they shot it and then cut it? We’ll see in the extended edition or not…

So, Mercédès apology was cut:

To save time? (I don`t think so. It´s too short)

To foreshadow that Mercédès feels her mother would want a son-in-law with a title? (already said about the horse being of a good family)

To emphasize that Mercédès is so worried for Edmond she gets “out of character” nasty (¿?)

More ideas, please?

[juliedherbl]

[juliedherbl]

Hi!

I´m here because one day in January 2025 I was in extreme need of beautiful gifs of Le Comte de Monte Cristo , the 2024 movie, and I found here loads of them made by genteel fellow lovers of the movie.

Years ago, I liked the book very much, and I always watch its adaptations. There’s always something good in them. But the Patellière and Delaporte version is amazing, IMHO. Captures the best of the book, and rewrites the things that are improvable (and some improbable too…). It´s not an objectively perfect version, there is a list of things that are improvable and improbable in the 2024 movie; because, you know, art is subjective, so its beauty and perfection resides in other parameters, in reaching our hearts and souls.

It moved me so much I needed to write about Edmond and Mercédès. The story kept growing, so I focused on how they met and fell in love. You can read an excerpt here